"I can't believe it has really been two years since Mark left.", Elizabeth said contemplatively while sitting on the bed she shared with the person who helped her get up of that emotional coma that has plagued her for so long. "I spent so much time trying to move on, I already forgot who I was moving on from."
"How was it for you?", asked Susan while climbing up to the other side of the bed.
"The first few days were like the phantom pains a person gets after being amputated. The brain thinks that the missing part is still there, but physically, it really isn't. Like how I still saw Mark play with Ella in out backyard, or prepare himself for work...and when I discover that he really isn't there anymore, the pain remains.", explained Elizabeth. "Then then each passing day, the pain starts to decrease more and more, until all it leaves is a reminder of what was taken away, and along with it is a loss of feeling on that part."
"But that wasn't the worst part.", continued Susan. "The worst part was trying to move on without it. I remember when all I did the year after was go to one party after another, date one man after another, until it ended with me in Las Vegas married to a man I just met a few days before."
"You mean Chuck?" asked Elizabeth, smiling.
"Mmmhmm." nodded Susan. "In hindsight though, he really isn't the type of guy I'd marry. A summer fling, maybe it's plausible. Marriage? Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but he was the type of person who doesn't care if he snores the entire time in bed, leaves the toilet seat up even if there's a woman in the house, and doesn't know where the "off" switch in his being is located."
"And you know how women feel about those types of men.", laughed Elizabeth, with Susan following suit. "Yes, dating was always the hardest part. I remember the surgeon I first dated."
"You mean the one you turned down for coffee and asked you to introduce me to?" asked Susan, wide-eyed. "What happened to that guy?"
"I fell for him. I really did. He was sweet, funny, smart..." dreamily said Elizabeth while looking up the ceiling with a smile.
"But?" asked Susan expectantly.
"Married." said Elizabeth while suddenly looking back down. "Turns out he hid all pictures of his wife in a cabinet when I come over to his house."
"Glad you didn't introduce me then.", snarked Susan. "I hate it when guys do that. Women are not toys you play with and throw away once you get tired of them."
"After Dorsett, I dated two men, a doctor, a British doctor to be exact, and a teacher who is also a single parent with a daughter Ella's age. Needless to say both didn't last long.", said Elizabeth. "Little did I know that the person I'm destined to spend the rest of my life with is just working on the ground floor of County."
"...and who could that be?" Asked Susan, with a fake curiosity and that distinctive grin Elizabeth always loved seeing. With that Elizabeth reached her arms out to Susan and gave her a tender kiss. At the point of contact, the blonde reciprocated. Kissing a woman certainly is different. They tend to be less rough, more tender, and less likely to have halitosis.
"Liz..", Susan softly called her girlfriend that special nickname reserved as a term of endearment.
"Suz...", Elizabeth called back, doing the same thing.
"Liz, I know that I will never, ever be able to replace what Mark has done for you, like get you pregnant, or even replicate all those happy memories you had. But I will always, always take care of you and Ella.", sincerely told Susan, sweeping off a stray ringlet covering Elizabeth's face. "Mark was and still is my best friend, and he told me when I took him to my house, that all he wanted was for you to be happy, whoever you end up with right at this moment. I promise you all that."
"You promise that, Suz?", asked Elizabeth, with tears of joy threatening to fall out. "For me?"
"I promise.", said Susan softly, lovingly, yet with conviction. "I love you so much, Elizabeth Corday, and for the first time in my life, I found the Right One."
"I love you too, Susan Lewis.", cried Elizabeth with tears of love and joy. "Thank you for being part of my life."
The two women then had the most passionate kiss they had that day. It was perfect - strong, not too much tongue, yet tender and loving. One thing led to another and it ended with Elizabeth and Susan snuggling under the covers, relishing the feeling of warmth in each other's embrace.